Howdy everybody,

I have a question! When I acquired my 2011 GS several months ago, it came with two Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitters, commonly know in the real world on the street as the "FOB". Both FOBs were aftermarket knock-offs like those found on Amazon for considerably less money than a genuine OEM General Motors FOB. I found this odd that a one-owner C6 with only 1,975 miles on it could have already needed new RKEs, but such is what I got (bummer).

Anyway, I've been using these RKEs since October 24, 2025, and most of the time they work fine, with the exception that neither pops the rear hatch when that button is pushed and held. I have had both FOBs fail to be detected a couple of times, and had to use the glove box slot to start the car. Well, I had finally had enough of these less-than-acceptable FOBs, so I just purchased a new original equipment RKE a week ago, took it out of the sealed OEM GM packaging, and went to the garage today, eager to program it so that I could start using it, keeping the cheap ones in reserve.

I have read the 2011 manual cover to cover, and have reviewed this programming procedure several times. I followed the instructions to the letter, and ran into an issue each time I tried (and I tried repeatedly today until I finally became sick of all this high-tech modern electronic gadgetry - makes me want to trade this car in on a 1963 split-window, haha). Anyway, so you don't get too bored reading ad-nauseam, here is what I did, straight from the manual on Page 2-5:

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1) The vehicle must be off.
2) Both the recognized and the new transmitters must be with you.
3) Insert the vehicle key into the key cylinder located above the license plate.
4) Open the hatch/trunk.
5) Turn the key five times within five seconds.
6) The DIC displays READY FOR FOB #2,3 OR 4.
7) Place the new transmitter in the glove box transmitter pocket with the buttons facing the passenger side.
8) A beep sounds when programming is complete. The DIC displays READY FOR #3 or 4, or MAXIMUM NUMBER OF FOBS LEARNED.
9) To program additional transmitters, repeat Step 7. Press ACC on the ignition switch if programming is complete.
10) Press [UNLOCK ICON] on each newly programmed transmitter to complete the process.
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Okay, so my issue begins at Step 6. The Driver Information Center (known by General Motors as the DIC ... no chuckles) never responded with "READY FOR FOB #2,3 OR 4" or any text text for that matter. It just remained unresponsive and unapologetically dark. I re-read the manual section on page2-5 to see if there was anything that I could possibly be missing in these super simple instructions, that seemed like they should be very straightforward. Not being a quitter, I did it again, and again, and again ... and each attempt ended in failure at Step 6. Needless to say, with each attempt I was wishing ever more that I had opted for a C2 or C3 last year, instead of this modern C6 (those were simple cars back in those romantic days, with a real key you turn in an ignition switch, and things like what happened today would never occur - I should have stuck with one of the two C3s I used to own).

I wondered if Step 1 was the culprit. The vehicle must be off. It was off, but the manual does not elaborate as to whether the "Acc" on the ignition switch had to be on or off. I tried it both ways, with no difference. I made sure the dash lighting was high so there was no possibility that the DIC was talking to me but I wasn't seeing it. I tried it with just one of the recognized transmitters with me, and also with both of the two recognized transmitters with me. I tested the possibility that the DIC was not displaying, and even carried on with Step 7, and waited for Step 8 ... nothing. After messing with this so long that my right thumb and index finger were too sore to keep turning that key five times in five seconds, I finally threw in the towel. The DIC had defeated me!

QUESTIONS: Am I the only guy out there unlucky enough to fail at a simple and quick programming task? Has this happened to anyone else? Does anyone have any thoughts that I may have overlooked? Why is the DIC just remaining dark and unresponsive to the five prior steps? Could this C6, currently with only 2,556 miles on it, already have some electronic problem that is causing this? (other electronics are functioning as expected).

Anyway, thanks folks for any assistance you may be able to render. I am very appreciative!

Steve

 

Read the first post in this thread: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...tructions.html

If you want your OEM fob to be recognized as #1, then you need to follow the long programming instructions in that post. The car must be off, not in accessory or in run modes. And all known fobs must be well away from the car so that the RCDLR doesn’t ‘see’ them.

Quite often, the reason that owners can’t get the car into programming mode is that they aren’t turning the key far enough. The car is looking for any 5 turns completed within any 5 consecutive seconds, so twist the key fully and quickly 10 or 15 times and see what happens. The car will ignore any extra turns that it sees.

Some owners do experience difficulties in getting their cars into programming mode, so it’s not just you. And some after market fobs won’t pop the hatch using the fob button.

If you still can’t get the car into programming mode, much further on in that thread is the ‘bent paper clip’ method which bypasses the need to turn the key.

GL

 

In addition to the above, it’s likely that the battery in the new fob, if it came with one, is dead by now. Before trying to program it, put a brand new name-brand, such as Duracell, lithium ion battery into it, because you need to press the unlock button at the end of programming, and the car needs to see that transmission. Buy the battery from a store that sells a lot of them so that the battery is fresh, and not DOA.

 

Oh, and I forgot to say, use the key, not the button on the dash, to unlock the hatch. This will prove that the cable connecting the tumbler assembly is hooked in place, and not just hanging there. If the cable isn’t connected, the hatch won’t open with the key, and the switch that’s supposed to signal the key twist back to the BCM won’t do that. Apparently a few cables didn’t get connected at the factory.

 

Very likely your 2 fobs are already #3 and #4, so short procedure won't work (4 is max), so long is needed as per reply 2 above.

 

Regardless, the car should still go into programming mode and if trying the short procedure would inform that maximum number of fobs reached.

 

Thank FatsWaller for taking the time to help me out here! It's good to know that aftermarket FOBs are known not to pop the hatch. Yes, when I turned the key five times, I made sure to turn it to its physical limit (why my thumb and index finger got sore, haha). I had not considered that my two aftermarket FOBs may be #3 and #4, but as you say, the car should still have entered into programming mode regardless. Thanks Mesquite77 for that thought.

I had planned on being content that the new OEM FOB would not be #1, which is why I attempted the short program mode rather than the long one. But it would be nice to spend the half-hour to do the reprogramming long mode, which I think I'll attempt after I get back from a short trip this coming week.

One question I had is this: The long programming mode erases all currently known FOB data, and if this occurs prior to programming the new OEM FOB, does the possibility exist that I could end up with no functional FOB and an undriveable car if for some reason the OEM FOB cannot be programmed due to the car being unresponsive as it was when I attempted the short programming? This is scary to contemplate because I would be dead in the water!

Thanks,
Steve

 

There’s always a risk that after you’ve erased all fob data that you could go no further and end up with no working fob, but that’s not the problem right now. Nothing is going to be erased if you can’t get the car to enter programming mode, and you haven’t been able to do that. Just to get a benchmark, call up your local GM dealer and ask what they would charge to program your fobs using their Tech 2 tool. If there’s more than 1 dealer within a reasonable drive, call those as well. Then decide if you want to spend that $$$ and be done with it. Or if there’s a local Corvette club, contact them and see if one of their members has a Tech 2 and is willing and able to help you out.

Then there’s the bent paper clip method. Turning the hatch key all the way causes a switch to close. The switch is located behind the plastic bulkhead at the rear of the hatch. Paper clips can be inserted into the switch connector to close the circuit back to the BCM. Here’s the post describing it: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1602874270

 

Something I did not mention in my original post:

I picked up this new OEM FOB from a GM dealer an hour south of me last week. I had the car checked out and the oil changed just to be on the safe side. While there, I requested that they reprogram so that the new FOB would be #1, and the two aftermarket FOBs I already had then become #2 and #3. The Corvette tech there told me that his Tech 2 was not communicating with the car, and requested that I return, after a summer of driving enjoyment, and leave the car with him to troubleshoot the whole thing. When I got home that day, I decided to try the short programming I described in my post.

I did not ask the tech, but I am assuming that the tool of which he spoke must be some quick and easy way for GM dealers to program FOBs without having to spend 30 minutes with a car to do it. The Corvette tech had a point that I do have two mostly functional FOBs right now that let me use the car. It is my personal quirk to have the OEM version because I have heard online, and from the tech, that aftermarket FOBs are less reliable. Anyway, I'll give it another shot soon, and see if I have any more luck. I may well just have invested in a new FOB that will sit in my drawer at home and collect dust (good thing it is not essential for my Corvette Experience!!!

Of course, there is one remaining question out there if there is something amiss with the car itself (even though it's essentially new), and that is this: How could the previous owner have programmed these two aftermarket FOBs if I am unable to have a new OEM FOB programmed now? That question in my mind was what prompted me to attempt the programming myself a few days ago. It is hard to believe that the two aftermarket units were programmed by the prior owner successfully, and that now, just a few hundred miles later on the odometer, something has gone wrong with the car's electronic computer system.

Steve

 

You can have most of the functionality of having two separate driver profiles assigned to fobs 1 and 2 by using the driver selection button on the driver’s door. Easy peasy in the A6, since you start it in P. Just briefly press the 1 or 2 on that switch and you get the driver options for that fob #. They stay in effect until you switch off, or select the other fob number, or press the unlock button on fob 3 or 4. You can modify and save any of options for those fob #s too. Just press and hold the 1 or 2 button, and when it beeps, the current settings are saved. Almost as good as having fobs 1 and 2. Don’t recall offhand what you need to do on the M6, but it might need to be in neutral with parking brake set. It’s in the owner’s manual.

 

These are the instructions I followed.